Evanston Family Secrets
by live2tivo
Summary: Nobody had any idea that Ryan and Sharpay Evans weren’t actually related, and the pair hoped to keep it that way. At least, they used to. Please Read and Review.
1. Wicked Arguements

**Title**: Evans(ton) Family Secrets

**Author**: Live2TiVo/ Musical Junkie/ Tally

**Feedback**: is like Ross and Rachel on _Friends_, Luke and Lorelai on _Gilmore Girls_, Jim and Pam on _The Office_, Logan and Veronica on _Veronica Mars_ and Phil and Keely on _Phil of the Future_… TRUE LOVE!

**Pairing**: Rypay (NOT Twincest)

**Word Count**: 1,931

**Rating**: T (PG-13)

**Genre**: Romance/Humor

**Summary**: Nobody had any idea that Ryan and Sharpay Evans weren't actually related, and the pair hoped to keep it that way. At least, they used to.

**Notes**: Yes, I realize that I use a lot of Broadway references. If any of them are confusing, just ask and I'll explain.

**Special Thanks**: To Jacky, who encouraged me to write this. And to my newspaper adviser who lets me use the computers during lunch.

**Spoilers:** Not so much

**Warnings: **Lots of Broadway references and a little bit of fluff described using Broadway references.

**Disclaimer**: If I owned _HSM_, I wouldn't have to baby-sit to fund my TV DVD OCD.

Nobody had any idea that Ryan and Sharpay Evans weren't actually related, and the pair hoped to keep it that way. It would be harder for everyone to know the truth after all this time than to just keep it a secret. Ryan and Sharpay lived next door to each other, their birthdays were one day apart, and their last names were both Evans. When Ryan's Evans moved next door to Sharpay's Evans, the families thought they might be related, but Sharpay's family realized it couldn't be because of an old family story. When Sharpay's great-great-great Uncle moved to America he changed his surname from Evanston to Evans because he was running away from the law. It was an Evans(ton) family secret, and the only other people that knew were the other Evans.

The idea that they were related started on their first day of Kindergarten. Their teacher, Ms. Whites, had seen their last names and figured they were brother and sister. "Are you two twins," she'd asked. Not knowing what twins were, Ryan and Sharpay said yes. By the time they realized what they had said, they were in first grade, and were already using the "twin" thing as an advantage in being in school musicals. It was too late. They told their parents, who thought it was pretty funny. "They _have _always acted like brother and sister," Sharpay's mom had said.

As the years passed, the musicals changed from _You're a Good Man, Charlie Brown_ to _The King and I_. All of a sudden it was harder for Ryan and Sharpay to keep up their sibling act. Playing the leads in _Grease_ required kissing, which was _definitely _something _normal _brothers and sisters did _not _do. They would have to write off romantic scenes as "just acting" and tone down the PDA to slight pecks on the cheek. Nobody thought much of it. Ryan and Sharpay weren't exactly the most normal people in the first place.

Ryan and Sharpay Evans began to view themselves as siblings more and more as time went on. They argued like most brothers and sisters do. They pulled pranks on each other. They gave off the impression of the quintessential sibling relationship. Ryan and Sharpay were great actors.

Ryan was the first to develop less than siblingly feelings for his "twin." He knew it wasn't wrong, but it wasn't right, either. It started when Ms. Darbus announced that their fall play would be Romeo and Juliet There was no doubt that the Evans would be cast in the title roles. Troy and Gabriella could sing, but they weren't the best actors at East High. That title belonged to Ryan and Sharpay, and, despite the opinions of Chad and Taylor, it was well-deserved. Gabriella was cast as the nurse and Troy was Mercutio. Ryan was Romeo with Sharpay as his Juliet.

"The Big Kiss", as it was often referred to in high schools and movies, was going to be a problem. They would have faked it, but Ms. Darbus hated it when they did anything that was out of character, and they wanted to stay on her good side when the musical rolled around.

They rarely practiced the scene during full cast rehearsals. Ms. Darbus trusted the Evans when they said they were practicing at home. They'd add in the scene during show week. Of course, this meant that the burden of perfecting the scene fell on Ryan and Sharpay.

"Oh, true apothecary, thy drugs are quick."

"Ryan? Do you and Sharpay want some snacks?"

"Just some water, Mom."

"I'll have some water, too, please."

"Be right back."

"Thank you, Mrs. Evans."

"You mean 'thank you, step-mother'." Ryan and Sharpay's parents had started to have fun with their kids' charade. Even they had gotten in on the act, playing their own roles. To account for their different addresses, Ryan and Sharpay's "parents" pretended to be divorced. Ryan lived with his dad and "step mom" and Sharpay lived with her mom and "step-father." All four thoroughly enjoyed their parts. Ryan's mom made jokes about Sharpay needing to call her "Judith" or "Step Mother" and Sharpay's dad referred to himself as "Steve" and "Step Dad" around Ryan. Acting was definitely in both Evans' blood.

When Judith Evans left the room, Ryan and Sharpay decided it may be time to discuss "The Big Kiss." Well, _Sharpay _decided it was time to discuss "The Big Kiss."

"What are we going to do? We can't just hold hands and do a European greeting this year."

"I don't know. Why'd we have to do Romeo and Juliet?"

"Darbus wanted to do a tragedy for the fall play because we're doing _We Will Rock You_ for the spring musical. Comedy/Tragedy balance."

Ryan rolled his eyes. "It was a _rhetorical _question, Shar. I know all about Darbus's comedy/tragedy balance. Last year we did _Sweeney Todd _and that play one of the lit mag kids wrote, Interpretive Chicken Dances."

"And, see, I knew that. All we're doing is telling each other stuff we already know."

"And yet, we still haven't come up with any solutions to this dilemma."

"We'll think of something, we always do."

"But everybody knows the story of Romeo and Juliet, Ryan. We can't just "leave that part out" like we did with Interpretive Chicken Dances. It'd be like cutting "Memory" from _Cats_. It'd be great, but it wouldn't be right."

"Kindly avoid Andrew Lloyd Webber references. Stick with Sondheim or Jason Robert Brown."

"You are such a theatre slut, Ryan."

"You're the one who won't listen to _Hairspray_ ever since they cast John Travolta as Edna," Ryan shot back.

"And you wouldn't buy tickets to the touring show of _Chicago_, because Usher was in it on Broadway."

"You won't watch _RENT_ because they left out "Christmas Bells" and "We're Okay" in the movie!"

Ryan's mom reentered the room at that moment, holding two water bottles. "Now you kids better play nice. I don't want to have to tell your father on you."

"Thanks, Mom."

"We were just discussing Broadway, Mrs. Evans."

"Well, that's never good. I'm just going to leave now before the two of you get into a screaming match about the merits of Kristin Chenoweth versus Shoshana Bean even though they played different parts." Mrs. Evans left.

"You know Shoshana was better than Kristin," Sharpay claimed.

"Was Shoshana nominated for _Wicked_ or win for _You're A Good Man, Charlie Brown_?"

"She _couldn't_ be nominated. You can only be nominated for a Tony if you're in the original or revival cast of a show."

"We are _not _getting into this, Shar."

"You only say that because you know you're going to lose."

Ryan stepped closer towards Sharpay, "_I _have the Tony Awards committee on my side."

"Daphne Rubin-Vega was nominated for _RENT_. It doesn't mean she was the best Mimi ever."

"They didn't even play the same part, Sharpay. And do _not _bring Daphne Rubin-Vega into this."

With each biting comment, the two took one step closer to each other.

"Why not? Afraid that you're not going to be able to beat me?" Three feet apart.

"I'm just saying that unless you're talking about Idina Menzel, _RENT _should be left out of _Wicked _arguments, Sharpay." Two feet apart.

"If I can't bring in Daphne Rubin-Vega, you can't bring in Idina, Ryan." One foot apart.

"Shut up, Sharpay." Six inches.

"Make me." Contact.

Their lips met in a stereotypical argument induced kiss- angry, passionate and unexpected. And like any good fight induced kiss, neither really wanted to stop through a combination of enjoyment and unwillingness to be the one who ended it. Their arms became entangled; their tongues began their own version of a Cirque de Soliel show. Just as they would never know who leaned in first, they would never know who pulled away. Their moments were simultaneous, like the choreography at the beginning of _A Chorus Line_. Step-Kick-Kick-Leap-Kick-Touch.

As soon as their lips detached, Ryan turned away from Sharpay to conceal a problem that had suddenly come up. He sat down and crossed his legs, eyes closed, praying for either Sharpay or his dilemma to go away.

Sharpay sat next to him. _So much for either problem disappearing_, Ryan thought as Sharpay put her hand on his knee.

"Ryan?" He didn't say anything. "Ryan, I'm sorry." Silence. "Ryan, say something." Nothing. "Ryan Michael Evans, do _not _give me the silent treatment."

"Well, I don't think we can do _that _during the play."

Sticking with the string of stereotypical situations, Ryan hadn't realized he'd said that out loud.

"What?"

"Nothing."

"You said _something_."

"Just go, Sharpay. I'll see you tomorrow."

"I'm not leaving, Ryan. We need to talk about this."

"We won't talk about it, Shar. We'll just yell at each other about Broadway."

"Well, we can't just pretend it never happened."

"That's _exactly _what we'll have to do. We're supposed to be related, remember?"

"We're not, though, are we, Ryan? We're not. We've never been and we never will be."

"What good is that, Sharpay? The only people that know we're not twins are our families."

By this point, neither of them knew what they were trying to prove. That it was okay or that it was wrong.

"We can change that. It's our senior year, Ryan. I'm tired of lying."

"Nobody'll believe us."

"They will if we can prove it, Ryan."

"Birth certificates?"

"Um, yeah. Birth certificates. Good idea. Better than mine, anyway."

"What was yours?"

"Never mind."

"Well, no matter what it was, could you _please_ take your hand off of my knee? You're not exactly helping my problem."

Sharpay, who hadn't actually noticed Ryan's predicament, quickly obeyed his wishes when she saw the issue he was ineffectively trying to hide with his legs. "Sorry. Sorry. Do you want me to leave?"

"Do you really want to stay?"

"Good point." Ryan waited for Sharpay to leave, but she didn't move. He looked at her, questioning, but she just sat there and stared at the wall, thinking.

"Sharpay…"

"I'm going, but I want to see something first."

"What?"

"This." This time it was perfectly clear who was the initiator.

Ryan's last coherent thought before losing himself in the moment was _I really hope my mom doesn't walk in._

Sharpay broke it off muttering apologies. Ryan put a finger over her lips to silence her and said, "Let's tell them on Monday."

----------------------------------------------

I might add another chapter with them telling everybody at school, but only if I get reviews from people wanting one. Constructive flames welcome, really. Please Review. It'll make me happy.


	2. Better than the Tonys

**Title**: Evans(ton) Family Secrets

**Author**: Live2TiVo/ Musical Junkie/ Tally

**Feedback: **makes me feel like my dog does when someone accidentally drops food on the floor.

**Pairing**: Rypay (NOT Twincest)

**Word Count**: 1,143 (Without this chart thingy at the top)—A lot shorter than my last chapter, but think of it as the 6th Harry Potter book, a bunch of meaningless stuff leading up to the next book. Like this is a lead in to the next chapter

**Rating**: T (PG-13)

**Genre**: Romance/Humor

**Summary**: Nobody had any idea that Ryan and Sharpay Evans weren't actually related, and the pair hoped to keep it that way. At least, they used to.

**Notes**: I know it took me _forever _to get this posted. I've had it handwritten for over a week, but I couldn't get around to typing it. Stuff just keeps getting in the way. Like leaving my handwritten version in my locker over Thanksgiving Break and writing a 1250 research paper about 90s television for my AP Lang class. Well, as they said in _Sky High_, that's High School.

**Special Thanks**: To all NINETEEN reviewers. I've never gotten that many reviews on a story or chapter before. Especially so quickly. You guys are so great. And love to the people who added my story to their faves or alert lists. That makes me happy. And after the LoVe breakup last night on _Veronica Mars, _I really needed it. Thanks. And extra thanks to Jacky, without whom this fic would be a plot bunny in a corner of my mind.

**Spoilers:** She dies at the end. Oh, wait, that's _Love Story_ and it's not exactly a spoiler considering it's revealed in the first line of the movie. As for HSM spoilers, not so much since I assume you aren't going to be reading HSM fandom if you've never seen HSM, am I right?)

**Warnings: **Lots of pop culture references, and a little fluff.

**Disclaimer**: If I owned HSM, the pop-up edition would've been a whole lot juicier. (And perhaps a little dirtier, hehe). And, since I just found out about the whole Cassandra Claire incident with "Draco Dormiens" (which was one of the first fics I ever read), any lines of dialogue that bare resemblance to lines of dialogue from various mediums of pop culture aren't mine either. I dunno if I used any, but if I did, keep in mind that I have 11 TV shows that I watch religiously every week and can not contain my pop culture knowledge. I highly doubt that made any sense, but just go with it.

* * *

They chickened out.

It had been two weeks since Ryan and Sharpay had decided to tell their friends they weren't related, but they still hadn't worked up the nerve. Ryan and Sharpay, the only two people at East High who could claim never having an ounce of stage fright, couldn't muster up enough courage to tell anybody. Oh, the irony.

Of course, this fact was far from their minds Monday of show week. Especially because they were a little too preoccupied at that time to think at all.

"I _love_ having our own dressing room." Sharpay whispered to Ryan.

"I _love _that no one ever comes in here because they think we're mentally preparing for our performance."

"How much longer before they'll knock and tell us we're on?"

"We've got a good seven minutes."

"Lucky number seven, huh? Well, Ryan, if we've got seven minutes we should…"

"Yes?"

"Run our lines."

Ryan sighed. "Fine, I'll start."

"Go."

"_Then let lips do what hands do. They pray._"

"Good place to start."

"Shut up, Shar."

"Make me."

"With pleasure."

They fell into each other, planning to put their remaining six minutes to good use.

Six minutes passed too quickly, and Kelsi was knocking on the door, telling them it was time.

"Coming," the couple said in unison.

"We have to tell them," Ryan said as he tried to fix his hair.

"Fine, but not that we're dating. Just that we're not twins."

"Then we'll tell them that we're together later, right?" Sharpay had been putting off their confession, and Ryan was getting tired of it.

"Right."

There was a pause as the two just stood there silently.

"We have to go."

"What?"

"Rehearse, Sharpay. We have to rehearse."

"Oh, right. Let's go."

Ryan and Sharpay walked out into the theater. Troy, Gabriella, Kelsi (who had composed an underscore for the play), and the rest of the drama club were sitting in a circle on the stage arguing about the 2004 Tony Awards. Chad and Taylor (who Gabriella and Troy had convinced to help with the sets) were there as well, looking thoroughly confused at the conversation. Sharpay was relieved to see that Troy was participating. They had taught him well. Before he was in _Twinkle Towne_, Troy couldn't even name a single Sondheim show. Now he knew the words to "Comedy Tonight." The drama club was proud of all he had learned. There was, however, one face missing from the crowd.

"Where's Ms. Darbus?" Sharpay asked.

"She left to get her clipboard," Gabriella explained before going back to defending _Avenue Q_'s win as best musical.

Sharpay and Ryan didn't join in the discussion. Instead, they stood to the side, talking.

"Now would be a good time to get this over with," Ryan whispered.

"You do it then."

"Why do I have to do it?"

"Because you're the guy."

"What does being a guy have to do with this?"

"As the guy, it's your responsibility to tell our friends that we're not related. It's proper manners."

"You know, Shar, I really don't think that Emily Post has a rule for this kind of thing."

"Just do it, Ryan."

"Why can't you do it, Shar?"

"Me? You're the one who's all 'we have to tell them'!"

At this point, Sharpay and Ryan had stopped attempting to lower their voices. They were actors and they knew how to project and would often do so unintentionally. This was one of those times. Suddenly Hugh Jackman beating out Hunter Foster fell second to eavesdropping on Ryan and Sharpay. Although, is it really eavesdropping when the two people are yelling?

"We _do _have to tell them, Shar. It's been twelve years and I can't take it anymore!"

"It's your fault anyway, Ryan."

"My fault? How on earth is this _my _fault?"

"You're the one who couldn't _wait _to tell everyone, Ry."

"That doesn't make it my fault, and we'd have to tell them eventually. Twelve years is a freaking eternity."

"Since when is twelve years an eternity?"

"In the run of a Broadway show, in celebrity marriages, and in _keeping secrets_!"

"It was your idea, Ryan."

"It was _not _my idea. It was a mistake. Just like what happened two weeks ago."

The drama club (plus Chad and Taylor) was enthralled. Ryan and Sharpay _never _fought like this. Sharpay had the ultimate authority over Ryan and all of their arguments ended quickly with Ryan accepting this fact.

Sharpay held back tears at Ryan's harsh words. "A mistake? You'd call the last two weeks a mistake? _Nobody _makes the same 'mistake' that many times, Ryan, no matter what the bail jumpers try to convince Dog the Bounty Hunter. What about ten minutes ago in the dressing room? Was that a 'mistake', too?"

A state of shock encompassed the spectators. Whatever mistake the Evans were talking about was riveting. That and the fact that Sharpay made a _Dog: the Bounty Hunter _reference.

"I didn't mean it that way, Shar. You of all people should know that. I never meant it to come off that way. At first, I thought what we were doing might be a mistake. But then you… and I knew if it was a mistake, it was the best mistake I could have ever made. And that may be cliché, but it's true."

"Where is all this coming from," filled the minds of those who bore witness to Ryan's confession. Of all the people at East High, Ryan was the least likely to be saying these things. Especially since he wasn't reading lines. Especially because he was saying these things to his _sister_.

"Ryan, are you serious?"

"Sharpay, not even I am that good of an actor."

Forgetting everyone else in the theater, Sharpay pulled Ryan into a kiss. The kind of fairy tale kiss that took place in a giant elephant outside of a Parisian strip club with the world spinning around the two oblivious participants. This was the kind of kiss that followed songs like "I'll Cover You" or "Grow Old with You." This was the kind of kiss that ended romantic comedies after the main characters realize they're perfect for each other. This was the kind of kiss that occurred when a girl got off a plane to Paris to tell a guy that she loves him.

It was the kind of kiss that probably shouldn't be done in front of people who think that the two people kissing are brother and sister.

The loud thump as Chad, having passed out, hit the wooden stage floor, brought Ryan and Sharpay out of their own dimension. Arms still wrapped around each other, they turned slowly towards the shocked countenances of the rest of the auditorium's inhabitants as a familiar voice rang out from the back of the theater, screeching, "What in the name of Neil Simon is going on in here?"

* * *

That's it for now, people. I'm working on chapter three, but as I said in my author's notes, this is a filler chapter before they actually tell everybody. Please review. I'll love you forever if you do. Promise. 


	3. See Also Uncomfortable

**Title**: Evans(ton) Family Secrets

**Author**: Live2TiVo/ Musical Junkie/ Tally

**Feedback**: is like "Zen wrapped in Karma dipped in Chocolate good"

**Pairing**: Rypay (NOT Twincest)

**Word Count**: 1,560 without this thing at the top or the plea for reviews at the bottom. Not as long as I would've liked, but I wanted to get this up. It's longer than the last chapter, at least.

**Rating**: T (PG-13)

**Genre**: Romance/Humor

**Summary**: After making out in front of the drama club, Ryan and Sharpay are forced to explain every thing.

**Notes**: I don't like this chapter as much as my others, but it had to be written. I'm kind of looking forwards to writing more Ryan and Sharpay alone scenes.

**Special Thanks**: To the people who review and/or add this fic to their faves and/or alert lists. And, once again, to Jacky, my friend in Jaclyn Moriarty books, boarding school stories, HSM fics, and many an argument about RENT pairings. And to Rachel, for inspiring the "too perky" part and for introducing me to _The Color Purple _and_ You're A Good Man, Charlie Brown_.

**Spoilers:** And now for your daily spoiler from Live2TiVo: The guy in _The Sixth Sense _sees dead people. Gasp!

**Warnings: **Massive amounts of pop culture references may be hazardous to your health. Hehe.

**Disclaimer**: Does any fandom writer actually own what they're writing about? No. And who am I to go against the grain?

* * *

If the moment hadn't been so serious, Ryan Evans might've laughed at the scene around him. Taylor had run over to help an unconscious Chad, Troy's mouth was opened so widely he looked like he was about to swallow a Big Mac whole, and Ms. Darbus had just said "Neil Simon" in place of God. And you have to admit that's pretty funny. Gabriella was saying "what the… oh my… I can't believe… what the…" over and over again like a broken record. Sharpay looked as if she was ready to be sick. Ryan didn't know what to say, but he knew he had to say something.

Of all the things he could've said, what he did say was probably the worst of his options: "And scene."

Ryan was not the kind of person to make jokes when he was uncomfortable and began to wonder why he chose this particular moment to start doing so. And now it was as if he had opened up a can of Pringles; once he started he just couldn't stop. "What? No standing ovation?" The voice inside his head was screaming at him to shut the hell up, but he wouldn't, no _couldn't, _listen to it. And this defiance of his inner voice led to Ryan using one of the most cliché jokes ever (second only to "Why did the chicken cross the road?"), "What is this, an audience or an oil painting?"

He had to stop. He needed to stop, but before he could stop himself he had blurted out "Now would probably be the best time to tell you that Sharpay and I aren't actually brother and sister, huh?"

Eyes widened, jaws dropped, and a single scoff rang through the auditorium.

"Yeah, right." It was Taylor who had spoken out in denial to the disbelief of her colleagues.

"What do you mean by that?"

"Ryan, there's no way you two aren't twins. We would have known. Besides, you have the same last name _and _the same birthday. How do you explain that?" Taylor had always been a logical person. People who knew her blamed books for this trait.

"Evans is a common last name, so that was just a coincidence. And we don't have the same birthdays, they're one day apart."

"Twins can be born on different days!"

"Yes, but not at 3 in the morning one day and 11 at night the next."

Taylor didn't know how to respond to this, and Ryan knew it, but he was kind of hoping that she'd keep asking questions. If she asked enough of them, he might end up telling the whole story without actually having to tell the whole story. And lucky for him, Taylor was highly inquisitive. (Once again, the books were most likely to blame for this.)

"Don't you live in the same house?"

"We're next door neighbors. Like I said, most of this is just a coincidence"

Taylor kept asking questions, and Ryan kept giving her the answers. The other people in the theater listened intently, and the question-answer session lasted for about ten minutes with no one speaking but Taylor and Ryan. The only word out of a third party's mouth was Chad thanking Troy for helping him up off of the stage floor. Even Ms. Darbus didn't interject.

Sharpay hadn't moved at all during this exchange, her arm still around Ryan, her head turned towards him, her mouth closed, her skin pale. This wasn't what she had planned, and Sharpay liked plans. She had been planning to keep the whole thing a secret for a little longer. At least until she had sorted out her feelings on the subject.

Taylor seemed to have run out of questions, and the theater was quiet for a moment. Nobody wanted to break the silence, but somebody had to, and that somebody was Ms. Darbus.

"Well, I assume this means that the two of you will have no problem with your romantic scenes in the play."

"Uh, no, I guess not." Ryan pictured himself opening a dictionary to the word "Awkward" and seeing "_Awkward- adj. This exact moment_. _See also uncomfortable, uneasy, unpleasant, _and _embarrassing_."

"Are y'all dating or something?" Chad, who had never been one for superfluous speech, asked bluntly.

"Yes." Ryan figured there was no use hiding it now that people knew they weren't related. He also figured that as everyone just saw them making out, there was probably no use denying it.

"How long?" Gabriella asked.

"About two weeks."

As the conversation went on, Sharpay felt more and more faint. She needed to lie down or throw up, she wasn't sure which, but she knew whatever option she chose, she needed to choose fast. She needed to get out of the theater. She needed to get away from the questions and the looks. She needed to leave. She needed to go home and watch _The Wiz _or _Singin' in the Rain_ or any other musical that could get her mind off of things (but if Ryan wanted to watch with her and make out, she'd have no objection to that). Whatever happened, Sharpay knew she wasn't going to be able to stand there much longer. "Ry, can we go now? I don't feel very good."

"Are you okay, Shar?" Ryan turned towards her, his countenance turning to worry.

"I just need to go." She wasn't going to explain herself in front of everybody.

Ryan turned towards Ms. Darbus, who, knowing exactly why Sharpay wanted to leave and feeling sympathy towards her, nodded and said "We'll rehearse during free period tomorrow."

Ryan led Sharpay out of the theater. "What's wrong?"

"I don't know. I just have this feeling that what we're doing is wrong and that everyone else thinks so, too. I'm not ready for everyone to be talking about us and staring at us. I'm not even sure if what we're doing is right."

Ryan couldn't comprehend what he was hearing. "But, Shar, you love it when people pay attention to you."

"I love getting attention for acting. I don't love the fact my name is going to be traveling around school faster than _Lestat_ closed. I don't love the fact that we're going to have to explain this to everyone a hundred times tomorrow. I don't love the fact that we have to tell our parents tonight that we're together."

Ryan stopped dead in his tracks. "Parents? We have to tell our parents?"

"We have to tell them eventually, Ryan. It's better they hear it from us than from somebody else."

"This from the girl who couldn't even tell her friends…"

"I know what you're going to say, so don't, okay?"

"Fine, but you nearly collapsed when we told our friends just now, how are you going to be able to handle telling the parental units?"

"I've told you not to use the phrase "Parental Units" anymore, or I'm taking away your _Saturday Night Live _DVDs with Coneheads sketches. Besides, I'm a whole lot more comfortable with telling them than telling our friends. At least we don't have to explain the whole 'we're not twins' thing to them, right?"

"True."

By this point they were in Ryan's car. Ryan put the key into the ignition and as the car started the sounds of Kristen Chenoweth explaining "My New Philosophy" filled the car. Loudly.

"Ah!" Sharpay shouted as she quickly lowered the volume. "I am not in a _You're a Good Man Charlie Brown _mood right now. Too perky."

"What mood are you in then? _Sweeney Todd_?"

"No, too creepy."

"_A Chorus Line_?"

"Too likely to get stuck in my head."

"_25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee_?"

"Life's got too much pandemonium right now, I don't need to hear about it from a bunch of smart kids."

"What mood _are _you in then?"

"_Camp_?"

"That is not a Broadway show, Shar. And I refuse to listen to 'Century Plant' again."

"Hey! Do you want to come out and play the game?"

"No, no, no!"

Ignoring her boyfriend, Sharpay grabbed the CD case, ejected _You're a Good Man__Charlie Brown_, and, despite Ryan's objections, put the _Camp _soundtrack into the stereo and went to track two. As soon as he heard the words "Outside my house is a cactus plant they call a century tree," Ryan turned off the stereo.

"Hey! What's that about?" Sharpay exclaimed indignantly.

"As the driver, I have the right to veto the music choices of the passenger."

"You wouldn't be this cranky if I put in _The Color Purple_.

"_The Color Purple _is awesome. _Camp _is annoying." Ryan stated.

"_The Color Purple _is annoying." Sharpay half-jokingly retorted.

"_You're _the one who bought it, Sharpay."

"I hadn't heard it yet, but now that I have, I can say that it's as annoying as Andrew Lloyd Webber!"

"Fine, I'll put in _Cats_. How about that?"

"Stop it, Ry. You know I'm just messing with you."

"I know, but fighting is more fun."

"Do you want to pull over and make out as much as I do right now?"

"Totally." Ryan pulled into the parking lot of the nearest gas station.

As Ryan leaned in towards her, Sharpay turned the stereo back on and "Century Plant" once again filled the car. Before their lips met, Ryan smiled and said "I think this song is growing on me."

* * *

If you liked it, review. If you hated it, review. If you have no idea what _Camp_ is and want me to explain, review. Sensing a pattern here. Enough reviews and I'll write another chapter. By the way, I'm not in any way insulting _The Color Purple,_ I'm actually listening to it as I type this. I just used it because its my friend Rachel's favorite show. Review and tell me your favorite Broadway show and I'll reference it in the next chapter. 


	4. Something to Stare At

**Title**: Evans(ton) Family Secrets

**Author**: Live2TiVo/ Musical Junkie/ Tally

**Feedback**: is like when TV DVDs are on sale at Best Buy and I actually have money- _amazing_ and _awesome_.

**Pairing**: Rypay (NOT Twincest)

**Word Count**: 1,584 without this thing at the top and the begging for reviews at the bottom. It's pretty short, but I felt bad about not updating in so long, and I wanted to get this up as soon as possible.

**Rating**: T (PG-13)

**Genre**: Romance/Humor

**Summary**: Ryan and Sharpay get delayed before they can tell their parents about their relationship.

**Notes**: This chapter is a late Christmas gift to my friend Jacky. Sorry it took so long to get it posted. Most of the B'Way references in this chapter are based on what you said are your fave shows. Also, I changed the date of the show and pushed it back a week. It doesn't effect the plot, I just wanted to move it back a bit.

**Special Thanks**: To the people who review and/or add this fic to their faves and/or alert lists. And to Thomas, Rachel, and Jacky who all know why they're being thanked.

**Spoilers:** And, once more, your daily spoiler from Live2TiVo/Musical Junkie: Every chick flick ever ends with the guy getting the girl. Sorry if I ruined it for you.

**Warnings: **_A Chorus Line _will get stuck in your head. Always. You have been warned.

**Disclaimer**: Don't own HSM or any of the other 400 musicals I reference in this chapter. Seriously, if I owned it, I wouldn't be writing my own version of it. Plus, if I owned HSM, the dialogue would have been a lot less corny and a lot more full of obscure pop culture references like an episode of _Gilmore Girls _back when it was good.

* * *

Ryan and Sharpay left the gas station parking lot after about 15 minutes of intense kissing with _Camp _blaring in the background, during which time Ryan had decided that "The Ladies who Lunch" can be a _very _romantic song. 

"Well, that was fun." Sharpay smiled; Ryan laughed. "What?"

"Look at your hair in the mirror, Shar."

"What's wrong with my hair?" Sharpay said in a panic.

"Nothing, unless the 'I just narrowly survived an intense fight with the Audrey II' look isn't in this season."

"Oh my God!" Sharpay looked at herself in the sunshield mirror and gasped. "I look like Cassie during those flashback scenes in the movie version of _A Chorus Line_!"

"Relax, Shar. Your hair is no where _near_ as badthat mullet."

"Shut up, Ryan. Where's my hairbrush?"

"In your purse, Larry the Cucumber."

Sharpay playfully slapped Ryan on the arm before she dug through her Mary Poppins sized purse for a brush. While she did so, Ryan changed the music from _Camp _to _Hair_ thinking it would be funny. Which it was, just not to Sharpay.

"She asks me why; I'm just a hairy…"

"Ryan Evans! I swear to God if you finish that sentence Sweeney Todd will seem like a happy little Muppet compared to me!"

"You know Sharpay, there are these great things called jokes and _sometimes _when people _loosen up _they can be funny."

"Put on _Aida_, track six."

"You do it. I'm driving."

Sharpay grabbed the CD case and quickly found the disc she was looking for. "Have I told you lately how insanely OCD it is that you alphabetize your CDs?"

"It's not like I'm Monk or something. It's just easier to find them that way, and if you don't put _Hair _back in the right place, we're listening to _Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat_, which is conveniently located between _Jersey Boys _and _The King and I_."

"Ah, but if you did that you'd be punishing yourself, too."

"Just put it back in the right place, Shar."

"Between _Gypsy _and _Hairspray_?"

"Right."

Sharpay made a big show of deliberately turning every page in the CD case before slowly lowering _Hair _into its proper slot.

"Thank you."

"You're welcome, and now I have to start the song over, I missed it when you were blabbering."

"Let it be, Sharpay. You've heard 'My Strongest Suit' a million times, and, besides, we're almost home."

He was right. By the time the last note of 'My Strongest Suit' had faded out and 'Enchantment Passing Through' began, they were in their neighborhood and had turned onto their street.

Ryan pulled into his driveway and turned off the car.

"Ryan!"  
"What did I do now?"

"You know I hate it when you stop right in the middle of a song."

"And you know I don't care and you can just listen to it later. I know you have it on your iPod."

Sharpay opened her mouth to deliver a biting comment that would most likely include an insult using a character or song from a Broadway show, but she was cut off by Ryan's other next door neighbor (besides the Evans, of course), Jacky Elatan, a Sophomore at East High, who had come outside to check the mail.

"Hey, Ryan. Hey, Sharpay. Do you like my new t-shirt?" Jacky was currently wearing a tee that proclaimed her love for Jake Ryan from _Sixteen Candles_.

Ryan was confused, having never seen the movie, but Sharpay understood. "Brat Pack. Can't go wrong there."

"Right you are, Chickadee." For some reason, Jacky had recently taken to calling people "Chickadee" which amused Ryan, who laughed.

Sharpay shot her boyfriend a dagger stare and turned back to Jacky. "Get anything good?" She asked, pointing towards the mail in Jacky's hands.

"New issues of _M_, _Teen People_, and _Teen Vogue_."

"That's a lot of magazines."

"Well, I have to keep up with the teen Hollywood scene, besides, it gives me something to stare at during Math when Ms. Alley won't shut up. I mean, we live in New Mexico but the woman's voice is like an Alabama accent mixed with finger nails on a blackboard. I_ need _Michael Seater to help me tune her out."

Sharpay nodded in agreement, having spent many a class period staring at Adam Pascal and Hunter Foster instead of the quadratic formula. Although, she had a deep suspicion Jacky was looking at pictures of Drake Bell and Teddy Geiger as opposed to the cast of _Jersey Boys_ like Sharpay did.

"So, what are you two up to?"

"Play rehearsal. The show's next week, you know." Ryan said.

"Yeah, I bought my tickets during lunch yesterday. Are you still going to do _We Will Rock You_ in the spring? I listen to the original London cast recording you gave me all the time."

"I really hope so." Ryan had always loved Queen. Their Platinum Collection was one of the few non-Broadway CDs he owned. Freddy Mercury was on his list of "People I'd Want To Meet If They Were Still Alive" along with Jonathan Larson, Cy Coleman, Bob Fosse, and Ethel Merman.

"That'll be your last ever school musical, won't it?"

"Actually, Ms. Darbus is going to try and do one more show after that. I really want to do _How to Succeed in Business without Really Trying_ but Ryan wants to do _Into the Woods_."

"_Into the Woods _is clever _and _it's Sondheim, while _How to Succeed _is corny and the title takes forever to say."

"I think that may have been the most unbalanced comparison ever made. What does the length of the title have to do with the quality of the show?"

"Why isn't Kelsi writing one of the shows this year?" Jacky asked in an attempt to stop Ryan and Sharpay from arguing.

"She's too busy with college applications and that kind of stuff. Plus, she did the underscore we're using in _Romeo and Juliet_."

"And she's secretly composing a new show to give to Ms. Darbus at graduation. She's been spending every spare moment tweaking every little bit even though it's only November. At this rate she'll have five shows to give to Darbus by the end of the year. Just don't tell anyone. It's a surprise." Ryan elaborated.

"Of course not. I wouldn't want to ruin it." Jacky paused. "Did you hear that West High hasn't even chosen a spring musical yet?"

"How did that happen?"

"The chorus director and the drama coach can't agree on anything. Apparently, the drama teacher, Mr. Bay, wanted to do _Thoroughly Modern Millie _or _Pajama Game _but the chorus director, Mr. Mackley, said that _Millie _had too much brass and he only likes two of the songs in _Pajama Game_. Then Mr. Mackley suggested _Cinderella _even though they did _Once Upon a Mattress _last year and that would be two fairy tales in a row. Now Mr. Bay isn't going to be involved with the musical so only the chorus kids are going to get parts because Mr. Mackley doesn't think that anyone who isn't in chorus deserves a lead."

"How on Earth do you know all this?" Sharpay asked.

"My friends Rachel and Taylor go to West High and are completely fed up with Mr. Mackley, who, according to them, is somewhat of an asshole."

"He sounds it. 'Too much brass', seriously? There's got to be something wrong with that man."

"Well, according to Rachel and Taylor, there is. He's got his head so far up his…"

"We get it. Thanks." Sharpay cut her off.

"Okay, well, I'll see you later. I've got to get back inside before my mom starts wondering if I've read _Feeling Sorry for Celia _too many times and thought it would be a good idea to run off and join the circus." Jacky laughed at her own joke. "Bye, Chickadees."

Ryan and Sharpay just smiled and said "Bye" to Jacky, neither knowing what she was talking about, not having read _Feeling Sorry for Celia_.

"So, are you ready to tell the parentals?" Ryan asked as Jacky closed her front door and he and Sharpay grabbed their backpacks from the trunk of his car.

"As I'll ever be. Do you want to tell them together or separately?"

"Separately. But you better not chicken out this time."

"When have I ever chickened out from doing something like this… don't answer that."

"Just say to yourself: 'I'm the bravest individual I have ever met.'"

"Don't you quote _Sweet Charity _to me."

"How are you going to stop me?" Ryan jokingly stuck out his tongue at Sharpay and began to sing. "There's gotta be something better than this. There's gotta be…"

Sharpay stopped him the best way she knew how; with a kiss.

"_Shar_, our parents could walk out and see us any second."

"Who cares? They're gonna find out tonight anyway."

"True. I mean, who…"

"You know, Ryan, I've been meaning to talk to you about this whole 'you talking' thing."

"What about me talking do you have a problem with?"

"That you need to stop talking and kiss me."

"I can do that." And that he did.

They broke off a few minutes later and walked to their houses.

As she unlocked her front door, Sharpay yelled out to Ryan, "And don't think I'm not still mad at you for turning off the radio right in the middle of 'Enchantment Passing Through'." She went inside before Ryan could retort with "I wouldn't expect anything less."

* * *

Okay, that's all for now. PLEASE review. I love getting reviews. They make me so very happy. Oh so very happy. Extra hugs to past, present, and future reviewers. And keep in mind if you tell me your fave show, I'll reference it in the next chapter. 

A few side notes: The thing with West High's musical is actually going on at my school right now. I'm going crazy. Also, I have nothing against any of the musicals my characters insult in my story (unless, of course, they are Andrew Lloyd Webber shows and should be shunned.) That's all folks.

Merry Christmas, Jacky. Hope you liked the chapter. Call me after you read it.


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